It will be hard to recapture the magic that the Vegas Golden Knights had last year, but one area sportsbook is ready to try with the betting public. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has put out nine proposition bets on the home town team in advance of Thursday’s opener against Philadelphia.
These sorts of side wagers are usually reserved for much bigger sporting events, such as the Super Bowl or the World Series. Tiger Woods has gotten similar special attention from bookmakers this year at major championships.
“We decided over the summer that we would do props on all VGK games this season based on their popularity during last season playoffs,” Westgate Vice President of Race & Sports Book Operations Jay Kornegay told OG Online Gambling News. “Especially the first goal scorer. People have asked but we already planned to offer.”
Sin City Hockey Boom Aftershocks
When the team began its inaugural season last October, none of the sportsbook operators expected the team to become popular. Hockey in popularity and betting is well behind the NFL, MLB, college football and basketball and the NBA.
It got several oddsmakers off guard, and also put them at risk of a loss when rabid hockey fans and sharps were winning bet after bet on the Golden Knights.
“This is something we never experienced before,” Kornegay said in an exclusive August Q and A with Onlinegambling.com. “A local pro team that did really well and the bandwagon was beyond anything we’ve ever seen. In the hockey world, it’s something we’ve never seen before.”
VGK Mania, Act 2
Kornegay and other sportsbook operators were determined not to let that happen again. For the team’s home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Westgate is offering nine prop bets.
The first one is whether the team will score in the first 10 minutes. The yes is -140, while the no is +120. The second is whether the game will go to overtime. The yes is at +300, and the no at -400.
The next two deal with if a player will score a goal in the first period. The yes for a Flyer is -135, while the no is +115. For the Golden Knights the yes is -170, and the no +145.
Putting money on which Vegas player will score the team’s first goal of the season is popular. William Karlsson and Max Pacioretty are 4/1, with Jonathan Marchessault next at 5/1.
The last four bets center on whether a Golden Knight player will score a goal or get a point. Karlsson, and new acquisition Pacioretty, are +150 to score a goal, and a -180 to not. Marchessault is +170 to score, and -200 to not. Reilly Smith is a -170 to either score a goal or get an assist, and a +145 to go pointless.
Kornegay said he has been encouraged by the bets, and said they should gain popularity once the betting public realizes they are being offered.
“Action has been kind of light so far but most wagers come in hours before puck drops,” Kornegay said. “The first goal scorer one is the most popular. Another popular prop is if there will be a goal scored in the first 10 minutes of the game.”
